March 4 Literature Alive presents Novelist Todd Babiak 6:30pm, Room 1808, New Westminster Campus Events Calendar Gaining funding and awareness Richard Gale has made 15 Douglas College faculty members very happy by helping them win grants through the Vice President Education and Scholarly Activity offices. The projects ranged widely, “from examining the role of debate in students’ development of confidence and competency in writing courses, to active learning strategies in communications courses, to fear of mathematics in science courses,” says Gale. ‘The departments involved were equally diverse, from Sociology and Anthropology to Sport Science, to Psychiatric Nursing. The common thread? “All of them are interested in learning more about how students learn. And all of them have very big goals,” says Gale. ‘The main challenges in the grants application process are “the culture of grantsmanship and the time required to make the case,” particularly for those with heavy teaching loads, says Gale. “Traditionally the colleges have been excluded from a lot of funding opportunities. We are trying to rectify that,” he adds. Chalk this up as just the latest achievement for Gale, the College's Visiting Scholar for 2007-2008. He was recently elected as the BC representative to the Board of Directors for the Society for Teaching and Learning in Higher Development. Gale has also been busy on the media circuit, talking about Douglas College on radio talk shows and in editorials. “It shows how seriously Douglas College is about teaching and learning,” says Gale. Meanwhile, learning will play a key role in the third annual Celebration of Teaching, Learning, Program Innovation and Scholarly Activity being held May 15. Everyone is invited to attend this special event, 4-6 pm in the upper cafeteria at the New Westminster Campus, which will feature displays of student and faculty work, an awards presentation, refreshments and music. For more information on grant activities contact Richard Gale at galer@douglas.bc.ca. For more information on the May 15 event contact Laureen Dailey at 604-527-5491. March 4 Aboriginal Reconciliation Speaker’s Series presents Tony Penikett, 2:30pm, Room 1606 March 6-24 ‘The Amelia Douglas Gallery presents, Celebrating 100 Theatre & Stagecraft Productions. For Gallery times call 604-527-5723 March 7-15 The Departments of Theatre and Stagecraft present, Lysistrata by Aristophanes, Studio Theatre Tickets and info: 604-527-5488 Douglas research symposium connecting with the community Tom Whalley says a two- day national symposium on community based research (CBR) will “demystify research’ for social service agencies, students and instructors. “We are providing an environment where no question is a dumb question,” says Whalley, Douglas College’s Scholarly Activity Coordinator and the organizer behind Conversations on Community Based Research: Engaging Communities with College Faculty and Students. The symposium takes place May 8-9 at the Health Sciences Building and launches the new Centre for Health and Community Partnerships on the David Lam campus. CBR is a relatively new type of research, which fits well with the traditional partnering of colleges with the community through student work placements, says Whalley. Currently, Douglas College has formal partnerships to conduct joint research with PLEA, a community based organization helping children, youth, adults and families and the McCreary Centre Society, a non-profit organization concerned with the health of young people in BC. “Agreements like this will lead to an expansion of this type of research,” says Whalley. ‘The conference will introduce key players to one another and increase the profile of CBR. Already, the Council of Senior Citizens Organizations (COSCO), the BC Injury Research and Prevention Unit, ‘The Women’s Health Network and Literacy BC are expected to attend, along with other organizations from across Canada. Whalley notes CBR is important in the health care sector, where it is used often. A key sponsor of the conference is the Canadian Council on Learning’s Health and Learning Knowledge Centre. For more information on program contents and call for proposals, contact ‘Tom Whalley at 604-527- 5818 or whalleyt@douglas. be.ca. Register with Patricia O'Hagan at 604-777-6528 or ohaganp@douglas.be.ca. For help with proposal writing, contact Marina Niks at MNiks@thehub literacy.be.ca. College hosts Winter Graduation Ceremonies Douglas College hosted Winter graduation ceremonies at the New Westminster Campus on February 12, bringing together graduates, family members, friends and College employees for this special day. This year, over 500 students graduated in over 58 programs, while 91 students were eligible to receive Gold Cord Awards for placing in the top to percent of their class. ‘Iwo valedictorians, one for each ceremony, represented all students as they talked about their experiences at Douglas College and what the future might hold. ‘They were Teresa Mclellan, Associate Degree in Arts, and Sarah Hanson, Diploma in Psychiatric Nursing. ‘To see more photos of our graduates, please see the link to the photo album on the College web site under Our Community. (Above I-r) Tuesday Shaw, Health Care Support Worker graduate; Patricia Juvik, Health Care Support Worker instructor; Sinja Park, Home Support/Resident Care graduate; and Dianne Maxwell, Health Care Support Worker instructor. (| to r) Robert Thornton, Commerce and Business Administration graduate, and Ana Penate, Arts graduate.